Autumn was high, the horses were fat, and the water plants were lush.
However, the further south one went from Beimang to Gusai Prefecture, the scenery became desolate and boring.
It was full of yellow sand.
No wonder it was Beiliang. It was so cold and barren that even the wild horses, which were considered the closest to camels, were not used to it.
However, it was rumored that the ranches in the Liangzhou Pass's Two Long region were a treasured land that produced the world's number one horses. Because it just happened to have the word 'Long' in it, all of the civil and military officials of the Northern Mang and the Southern Dynasties coveted it, viewing it as an exclusive property that was already in their pockets. The few great figures who could speak loudly in the Western Capital's imperial court had already eagerly announced that they were willing to use the heads of Yang Guangdou, Chen Xiliang, Kou Jianghuai, and the others that were worth more than the nobles' heads in exchange for the ownership of several ranches over there, such as the world-shaking Xianli Ranches and Tianjing Ranches.
However, this expedition to the South was not going well. Not long ago, Xijing heard a piece of good news. It was said that the eldest grandson of the Zhong family, who had been promoted to Xiajia because of his military exploits, had successfully convinced the bald donkeys in Mount Lantuo to submit to Beimang. However, when the army had just stepped into the desolate Liuzhou border, bad news immediately came. First, a group of Beiliang light cavalry appeared out of nowhere and drove straight into Liuzhou from the border of Liuzhou. They bypassed a series of heavily guarded military towns such as the Gentleman's Pavilion and headed straight for Xijing, which shocked the Imperial Court. Then, 10,000 of Zhong Tan's elite cavalry were blocked at the entrance of Mount Miyun. No one knew whether Zhong Tan was alive or dead. General Zhong Shentong, who was in charge of the second front of the Middle Line, quickly submitted a letter of apology to the King of Beiting. His Majesty was not at all courteous to the Zhong family. He directly issued a transfer order to the Middle Line, ordering Zhong Shentong's younger brother, who was also Xiajia's uncle, Zhong Liang, to lead 8,000 elite cavalry and rush to Gusai Province to intercept the Beiliang cavalry that had penetrated deep into the hinterland. Nominally, they were under the command of Commander-in-Chief Zhong Shentong. It was obvious that they were saying that the good situation in Liuzhou had been ruined by the Zhong family's descendants, so they should pay off the debt with the lives of 8,000 Zhong family members. If they could stop them, they would let bygones be bygones. If they could not stop them, then they would continue to use the Zhong family to fill in the debt. If Zhong Liang was still not capable enough, then it would be Zhong Shentong's turn to personally take action. There would be no need for him to get involved in the battle outside Liangzhou Pass, and he would obediently go to Gusai Province to clean up the mess.
After Hong Jingyan died inexplicably on the Longyan Plains, the tens of thousands of Rouran cavalry were leaderless, and in the blink of an eye, they were carved up by the various major factions on the front lines.
The major factions of the northern grasslands, who had suffered losses in the first battle of Liang Mang, had more or less begun to make their own calculations. After the fall of General Zhong Shentong, how many veteran soldiers of the Zhong family would they be able to get their hands on?
On the grasslands, everyone felt awkward when they learned from those scholars of the Southern Dynasty, who were fond of romance, sitting down and discussing the Dao. However, everyone was familiar with sharing the spoils.
The army of Beimang on the western front pushed southward step by step. Their speed was not fast. Ten days ago, this army was suddenly attacked by ten thousand Beiliang Dragon-Elephant Cavalry. In just one hour, the six thousand vanguard cavalry under Huang Songpu's command were left on the battlefield. From the close combat to the conclusion of the battle, and then to the careless collection of the corpses, many of the nobles of Longguan who had their ambitions in Liangzhou still felt that they had not recovered from the shock.
In fact, it could not be said that there were no signs. After the army crossed the border from Gusai Prefecture of the Southern Dynasty into the territory of Liuzhou, their own horse railings had clashed head-on with the Beiliang scouts. Soon, the generals of Beimang who had learned the truth were all stomping their feet and cursing their mothers. Of all things, it was the White Horse Crossbowmen outside Liangzhou Pass who had come here to cause trouble! Although they had already broken camp and moved southward away from the court, whether it was General Huang Songpu or the generals of Longguan who controlled the elite cavalry of the Southern Dynasty, they had no choice but to pay attention to what was happening in their own backyard. They did not want Hutou Town to see the figure of a Beiliang crossbowman. This was the Emperor's personal decree in the Western Imperial Court. What was the result? Fatty Dong's Crow Railings were all dead. General Liu Gui's Black Fox Railings were also all dead. It was even said that Dong Zhuo's brother-in-law had lost his life in the Longyan Plains. In the end, that young Beiliang lieutenant named Li had become famous in the grasslands overnight. Now, he had even swaggered into the northern part of Liuzhou to show off his prowess!
Huang Songpu was an experienced veteran on the battlefield. Therefore, when the intelligence reports of the casualties of the horse railings kept coming into his tent, he had already begun to shrink the frontline and slow down the speed of advancing southward. Obviously, he did not want to make any mistakes. The backbone of this army was the old King of the Southern Courtyard, Huang Songpu, who was used to being lawless in the Southern Dynasty of Beimang. It was very obvious that the main force of this army was the direct descendants of the Jia and Yi families of Longguan. Although Huang Songpu still carried the title of one of the thirteen great generals of Beimang, the title of King of the Southern Courtyard had long been taken off. He was also an old man who had once retired. In the end, the troops that could barely be considered Huang Songpu's direct descendants numbered only thirty thousand. Compared to Liu Gui, who had been banished to the battlefield of Youzhou, they were even inferior.
To tell the truth, in the first battle of Liang Mang, Fatty Dong had personally presided over the situation on the central front, and victory was assured. They had even taken down Hutou City, and the corpse of Beiliang's great general Liu Jinu had been sent back to the Southern Dynasty in a coffin. The situation was very good. On the other hand, the battlefield of Liuzhou, where Liu Gui presided, was at least evenly matched. Although the losses were not small, even the deputy general of the Long Xiang Army, Wang Lingbao, had died in battle. It was a pity that the Youzhou side was too much of a burden. Perhaps it was because Yang Yuanzan was really too old that his army had been completely wiped out. In the end, only the Rouran cavalry managed to escape, which led to the complete defeat of Beimang. Therefore, at the bottom of their hearts, the great and small clans of Longguan did not feel that the Beiliang Frontier Army was really anything to be afraid of. This was especially true for the troops of Liuzhou that were naturally inferior to the Liangzhou cavalry and the Youzhou infantry. Apart from the Long Xiang Army that had suffered serious injuries in the first battle, were there any other first-class elites that could be brought out? No matter how wide their eyes were, they would not be able to find any. As a result, almost all of these fellows were suppressing their resentment, especially the lingering Liangzhou crossbowmen. They were all the more annoying.
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